Martha Ankomah has spoken out about the discrimination dark-skinned actors face in Ghana’s movie industry.
At the PCH Hangouts 2025 Edition, she recalled being told by a producer that her complexion was a disadvantage: “Martha, you are too black… the lights we use in acting, when we put the light on you, you won’t shine.” According to her, such biases pushed many actors to bleach their skin to fit industry beauty standards. “If
you’ve been watching Ghanaian movies for a while, you’ll know that some
of them were not fair before, but now they are because they had to
maintain it,” she revealed.
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For
Ankomah, staying true to herself was a matter of faith and upbringing.
She credits her parents and religious values for helping her resist the
pressure. “The Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of
wisdom. My dad was an Adventist, may he rest in peace, and my mom is a
strict Pentecostal,” she shared. She also reflected on how much the
industry has evolved, recalling a time when actors relied solely on
posters for recognition. “There was nothing like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Twitter. It was just you being put on a poster.”
Beyond colourism, she addressed the pressures actors face
to compromise for opportunities, emphasizing that these challenges
exist in every profession. “I’m sure wherever you are working too,
people do all sorts of things just to be there. So it’s everywhere,
trust me, but it takes the grace of God for you to say no,” she stated.
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